Ameriprise Financial Inc. Sells 24,933 Shares of Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN)

Ameriprise Financial Inc. lowered its stake in Northwest Natural Holding (NYSE:NWN - Free Report) by 12.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 170,101 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 24,933 shares during the quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.42% of Northwest Natural worth $6,729,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Northwest Natural by 8.1% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 615,126 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $24,334,000 after acquiring an additional 46,135 shares during the last quarter. Barclays PLC increased its position in Northwest Natural by 351.9% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 63,703 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,601,000 after buying an additional 49,606 shares during the last quarter. Aquatic Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Northwest Natural during the fourth quarter worth approximately $186,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Northwest Natural during the fourth quarter worth approximately $791,000. Finally, Atria Investments Inc acquired a new position in Northwest Natural during the fourth quarter worth approximately $270,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.13% of the company's stock.

Northwest Natural Stock Performance

Shares of Northwest Natural stock traded up $0.34 on Friday, hitting $40.79. The stock had a trading volume of 168,170 shares, compared to its average volume of 248,565. Northwest Natural Holding has a twelve month low of $34.82 and a twelve month high of $44.38. The business's 50 day moving average is $42.09 and its two-hundred day moving average is $41.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $1.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.24 and a beta of 0.56.

Northwest Natural (NYSE:NWN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 6th. The utilities provider reported $2.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.09 by $0.19. Northwest Natural had a return on equity of 5.89% and a net margin of 6.90%. The company had revenue of $494.28 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $464.65 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.69 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Northwest Natural Holding will post 2.33 EPS for the current year.

Northwest Natural Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 30th were issued a $0.49 dividend. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.80%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, April 30th. Northwest Natural's dividend payout ratio is currently 77.78%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Northwest Natural

In related news, VP David A. Weber sold 2,183 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 31st. The stock was sold at an average price of $42.46, for a total transaction of $92,690.18. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 255 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,827.30. This represents a 89.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director David Hugo Anderson sold 7,591 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $40.99, for a total value of $311,155.09. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 102,291 shares in the company, valued at $4,192,908.09. This represents a 6.91% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 25,283 shares of company stock valued at $1,058,673 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.84% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Northwest Natural from $45.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th.

Northwest Natural Profile

Northwest Natural Holding Company, through its subsidiary, Northwest Natural Gas Company, provides regulated natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers in the United States. The company operates a mist gas storage facility contracted to other utilities, third-party marketers, and electric generators; offers natural gas asset management services; and operates an appliance retail center.